Good Practices for

Concrete Road Pavement Construction

Mark B. Snyder, Ph.D., P.E.

President, International Society for Concrete Pavements
Vice-President, ACPA – Pennsylvania Chapter

Critical Factors for Smooth Pavement

A good grade and track line for paving

String line management
A good concrete mixture
Consistent concrete workability
Continuous supply of concrete to paver
Well-maintained paving equipment
Proper operation of paving equipment
Good consolidation and finishing of concrete
A skilled and dedicated crew

1
 Foundation Preparation
Pre-Paving Setup
Paving Operations
Overview Joint Layout

It Starts from the Ground Up

Roadbed (subgrade and subbase) design and

construction are key to:
Long-term performance
Smoothness (initial and long-term)

2
What is Good Support?

Uniformity in material and grading (most important!)

Resistant to erosion
Engineered to control subgrade soil expansion/frost heave

Foundation Preparation

Subgrades

3
Subgrades

Obtain uniform support by controlling:

Expansive soils
Frost-susceptible soils (frost heave)
Pumping
Wet Soils

Unstabilized Subgrades

1. Grade to match roadway plans

2. Cross haul to avoid abrupt changes
3. Compact at optimum moisture content
4. Identify soft spots and fix
5. Protect from rain (if necessary) by “tight blading” and
finishing with smooth drum roller
6. Fine grade to plan elevations within tolerances

4
Stabilized Subgrades

1. Trim to match roadway plans but finish the grade below

the final grade elevation
2. Spread stabilized agent as evenly as possible
3. Mix, add water and compact
4. Finish grade
5. Cure the subgrade

Foundation Preparation

Subbases

5
Place Base to Specified Tolerances
Minimize loss of concrete
Minimize/eliminate thickness penalties
Enhance smoothness
Enhance pavement performance

General Notes on Subbases

Thick subbases (greater than 150mm) are typically not beneficial,
and therefore are not recommended
The width of the subbase should accommodate the paving
equipment by extending at least 1 m beyond the width of the
pavement on each side.
Recommended minimum
thickness:
Unstabilized: 100mm
CTB or LCB: 100mm
ATB: 50mm
Recycled materials are
commonly used

6
Unstabilized Subbases

1. Mix a uniformly moist, homogeneous material

2. Place using preferred method
3. Compact to required density w/min effort
4. Trim to plan elevation and tolerances
5. Moisture content key for during
construction of subbase
AND immediately before
paving

Stabilized Bases

Includes soil-cement, cement-treated base, asphalt-treated
base, permeable asphalt-treated base

Strength issue for stabilized base
Specify min/max values
 7-day compressive strength: 5.0/8.0 MPa psi common

Base stiffness affects pavement performance
Potential for random cracking high for very stiff bases

7
Pre-Paving Setup

Safety

• Ride quality is pointless if

someone is hurt
• Plan out truck routes
• Use of highway patrol
• Daily safety meetings
• Teach employees to watch
traffic and each other

8
 Safety

• Pay attention to broom

handles, saws and
protrusions in traffic
• Watch for backing trucks and
make sure alarms are
functional
• Be aware of surroundings

Pre-Paving Setup

SLIPFORM PAVING

9
 String lines
String line management very important to final
smoothness of pavement
String lines control the “steering” of the paver
String lines control the elevation and slab thickness

Alignment
Sensing
String line Wand
Elevation
Sensing
Wand

Set Stringline

• Can be wire, cable, woven nylon,

polyethylene rope, or another similar
material
• Clean and tight splices
• Rigid stakes – watch for staking errors
• Maximum stake spacing of 7.6m
No perceptible sagging
Adjust stake spacing to fit conditions
See Staking Interval Calculator at apps.acpa.org for
recommendations on vertical curves

10
Set String Line (cont.)
• Continually check tension
• Place winches at ≤ 300m
• String lines on both sides of paving?
• Some situations require cantilever or
trusses for sensors to reach string
line

Setting the String Line

1. Set reference hubs at proper interval place a string line

support stake outside of each hub
2. Set stake arm to the proper elevation
3. Install string line
4. Tighten string line
5. Check installation

11
Once Set, the Paver Does the Rest

Stringless Paving: Example

Leica’s “Direct Connect” 3D Control System Software
communicates directly with
networked Microprocessor Control System

12
Pre-Paving Setup

FIXED FORM PAVING

Application Advantages
Fixed Form Paving

Tight tolerances - side clearance

Multiple changes of width
Blockouts
Intersections - quadrants open to traffic

13
 Application Advantages
Fixed Form Paving

Maintain quality during short

concrete supply
Critical staging for traffic control
Small inexpensive equipment can
place concrete
An adaptable system

Forms

Typical form - steel section

Wide, flat base for stability
Rail to carry paving equipment
Pin (stake) holes to anchor to base
Connections for adjacent forms
Normally, height same as pavement thickness

14
Setting Forms

Forms

Before ordering or using

check
Specifications for requirements
Approved for use on project
Paving equipment needs
Paving process needs
Adequacy of stockpiled forms
Order forms timely

15
Forms

Additional requirements
Tightly lock to ends of adjacent
forms
Stake with a minimum of two pins
for each
3 m section
Stable under weight or vibration of
equipment
Clean and oil before use
Recycle or discard any bent, twisted
or broken forms

Setting Forms

Form setting is critical construction step

Uniform support
Proper maintenance
Proper alignment and elevations contribute to smooth
pavement

16
Setting Forms

Set forms to proper grade - alignment

Eyeball horizontal and vertical alignment
Check depth between forms
Check width between forms
Check joints between forms

Pre-Paving Setup

INSTALLATION OF DOWELS

17
Transverse Contraction Joints

32-38 mm dia.
Smooth Dowel

D/2
Doweled D

D/3
Reservoir 3-9 mm (typ.)

Undoweled Sealant

Deflection Load Transfer

0% Load
Wheel
Transfer
Load Direction of Traffic

Approach Slab Leave Slab

Unloaded
LT =
100% Load Loaded
Transfer Wheel
Load Direction of Traffic

Approach Slab Leave Slab

18
Effects of Joint Load Transfer
on Pavement Behavior

Deflections in Concrete Pavement

Outside Pavement Edge
5 Di 3 Di
3.6m Lanes Di Di
3 Di 2 Di
Longitudinal Centerline
(acts as tied PCC Shoulder)

Undoweled Transverse Joint Doweled Transverse Joint

Typical Dowel Bars

Typical length = 450 mm

Typical diameter
Roads: 25 – 38 mm
Airports: 38 – 50mm
Epoxy or other coating typically
used in harsh climates for
corrosion protection

19
Dowel Bar Stresses

Shear, bending and bearing (dowel on concrete)

Stresses increase with increased loading

Stresses decrease with increased foundation support

Shear and bending are rarely critical, rarely analyzed.

Bearing stresses can be critical to performance!

20
Optimized Dowel Spacing

Trend toward reducing standard dowel installations from 12 dowels

per 3.6-m lane to 11
increase distance from lane edge to outside dowels to reduce incidence
of paver-induced misalignment
Concentrated dowels in wheel
paths
Common in dowel bar retrofit
applications
Some trends for new
construction
Evaluate bearing stresses for
alternate spacings using
DowelCAD software

21
“Optimized” Dowel Designs

Reduce bearing stress while holding cross-sectional

area constant (or reducing it)

Examples:
Elliptical Dowels
Plate Dowels

22
 Dowel Guide and Tech Brief
Available!

National Concrete Pavement

Technology Center
at
Iowa State University

http://www.cptechcenter.org/publications
/index.cfm

23
Placing Dowels

Dowel Bar Placement Issues

Baskets
Basket rigidity (wires/design)
Basket stability – cut shipping wires (?), anchor type/length, base
stability
Dowel debonding agent
Basket length
Mechanical implantation
Consolidation around dowel bars
Dowel debonding agent
Dowel alignment

24
Placing and Staking Dowel Baskets

See cptechcenter.org
for NCC Guide to
Dowel Load Transfer

Dowel Location Identification

25
Dowel Misalignment
Examples

51

Placing Tiebars

26
 Pre-Paving Setup

PAVING EQUIPMENT SETUP

Paving Equipment Setup

27
Final Grade and Cross Slope Check

Vibrator Setup

28
 Effect of Paver Speed on
Consolidation

Slipform Paver Setup

29
Edge Slump

Edge slump can arise from a number of factors

Materials
Equipment
Early detection and corrective action are
required
Most important with stage
construction

Slipform Mold (Pan) Setup

Preliminary leveling of paving machine’s frame and then

slip-form mold
Check joints in the pan
Adjust center to account for
cross-slope
Check alignment
Adjust edges for edge
slump

30
Typical Paving Clearance Zone

The minimum clearance zone needed for a standard concrete paver

operation is ~1.2 m per machine side:
~0.9 m for the paver track and workers
~0.3 m for paver control string line

Modified Paver for “Zero Clearance”

Notice edge of paver riding next to curb

31
 PAVING OPERATIONS

Concrete Placement

Deposit concrete as close to paver

as possible
Avoid stop-and-go operation
Maintain uniform speed and head
No end loaders or backhoes to
distribute concrete

64

32
Concrete Placement Issues

Do not add water to concrete in

front of (or behind!) paver
Reduced strength
Reduced durability
Proper vibration effort
Control consolidation across paving
width
Provide just enough fines at surface
for a tight finish
This is also affected by mix design …

Consolidation
The internal vibrators on the paver fluidize the
concrete for extrusion
Adequate consolidation
Required around dowels and tie bars
Throughout the slab

33
 Poor
Consolidation

Lower in-place strength,

honeycombing

Over-Consolidation

Over vibration can cause settlement, loss

of air void system, less durable concrete

IMCP Manual

34
Headers:
Beginning and End of Day Construction

What are some of the

concerns?
 Consolidation
 Dowel alignment
 Finishing (over-finishing)

Source: Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc.

Finishing Operations

Minimal hand finishing – do not over-finish
Surface does not have to be super-smooth

Longer straight edges produce smoother surface

Do not add water to facilitate finishing – if used, it
should be fogged, not sprayed

Finishers have final say on PCCP smoothness &
surface durability
Source: Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc.

High Spalling Potential

35
Use 5-m float for smoothness

Need for finishing is minimized by

Selecting a workable mix
71 equipment
Properly operating the paving

CONCRETE PAVEMENT
TEXTURE
Goals: Safe, Smooth and Quiet …

36
Texturing and Smoothness

Provide friction and skid resistance

Texturing options:
Drag textures
Longitudinal tining
Transverse tining
Diamond grinding
Innovative techniques

Conventional Concrete Pavement

Texture Types
Transverse Tine Conventional
Diamond Grinding

Traffic

Longitudinal Tining Exposed Aggregate

37
Source: Iowa State University, 2006

38
 Noise vs. Friction
112
Diam ond Grinding
Drag
Longitudinal Tining
110
Transverse Tining
Other
Average OBSI Level (dBA)

108

106

104

102

100
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Average DFT/CTM-Estim ated SN40S (ASTM E 274 Skid Trailer, Bald Tire)

Next Generation Concrete Surface (NGCS)

vs. Conventional Diamond Grinding (CDG)
NGCS

CDG

39
Equipment Head Differences

NGCS
Head

Conventional
Diamond
Grinding Head

NGCS Texture

MicroTexture

Grooves for
Macro Texture

40
Concrete Curing

Need to maintain adequate moisture &

temperature regimes
Inadequate curing leads to
Excessive moisture loss at surface =>
plastic shrinkage cracking
Weak surface => durability problems
Excessive slab warping (built-in warp)
Must assure timely curing behind paver

Source: Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc.

Curing Methods
Ponding/continuous
sprinkling
Burlap/cotton mats
Plastic sheeting
Curing compounds

Source: Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc.

41
Curing Compound

Curing Compounds
Coating placed on concrete surface to prevent moisture loss
Resin or wax based
Clear or white-pigmented
Advantages:
Easy to use - not labor intensive
Economical
ASTM C 309 & AASHTO M148 (Type 2, Class B)
All curing compounds are not created equal even if they meet specs
Water retention is a key to successful curing

42
Curing Compound Application

Time of application
Apply as soon as surface sheen has disappeared
Use automated equipment for uniform coverage
Cover all exposed surfaces (incl. sides)
Re-apply at joints after sawcutting
Typical application rate: 4 to 5 m2/l (150-200 ft2/gal)
Curing time: Typically 72 to 96 hours
Check nozzles regularly for uniform spray (clogging)

Source: Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc.

86

43
 Nozzle Height

200 mm
PCCP

250 mm
PCCP

Timing of Curing
Final finishing follows concrete placement
There is some wait to ensure surface is ready for texturing/tining
Once bleeding stops & texturing is done, curing can start
Too early curing - bleed water accumulates under and
damages curing membrane
Too late curing - damages surface & results in plastic shrinkage
cracking
If grinding is used for texture, curing can begin as soon as
bleeding stops

Note: Slipform paving concretes do not bleed much!!

Source: Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc.

44
Joint Sawing

Why saw?
Saw timing
Sawing window
Maturity testing
HIPERPAV
Early-entry saws
Joint width
Mixture effects

Why Joint Concrete Pavement?

Primary Reason: control natural cracking

40-80 ft 15-20 ft

45
Joint Sawing

Factors that Shorten Window

Sudden temperature drop

High wind, low humidity

High friction base

Bonding between base & slab

Porous base (PATB)

Retarded set (delayed and shortened)

Delay in curing application

46
Crack Prediction with HIPERPAV

www.hiperpav.com

Hot-Weather Concreting

Applicable when air temp. > 25 C for 3 days

Potential problems include
Rapid loss of slump; Reduced air content
Premature stiffening; Plastic shrinkage cracking
Thermal cracking
Use of less cement & more supplementary
cementing materials (slag, Class F FA, etc)
Reduce heat of hydration
Class C FA not recommended
Adjust admixture dosage

Source: Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc.

47
 Temperature of Slabs Placed
at Different Times
50 120
Surface Temperature, ºC
Paved at 7:30 am

Surface Temperature, ºF
Paved at 9:00 am
45 Paved at 11:15 am
Paved at 1:15 pm 110
Paved at 3:30 pm
40
100
35
90
30
80
25

70
208:00 12:00 4:00 8:00 12:00 4:00
am pm am
Time
Source: Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc.

Mitigating Hot-Weather Effects

Consider setting up on-site mini-

weather station

Monitor evaporation rates

Monitor sawcutting window

Avoid use of hot cement or FA
directly from supplier

Use chilled water

Use waterborne monomolecular
evaporation retarder

Consider night-time placement

Delay paving operations
Source: Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc.

48
 Joint Layout

Why Joint Concrete Pavement?

Other reasons we joint concrete pavements:

Divide pavement into
construction lanes or
increments.
Accommodate slab movements.
Provide load transfer via placed
dowels.
Provide uniform sealant reservoir.

49
Why Joint Concrete Pavement?
Not for lane delineation!

Influence of Slab Geometry on Stresses

50
Joint Layout

Critical to crack control

Typically decided by engineer and
included in project plans
No knowledge of contractor,
equipment, processes
Hard to precisely place things like
utilities
Contractor may be allowed to
develop plans but, even if not, field
adjustments can and should be
made

Field Adjustments are Necessary

Adjust joints that are

within 1.5m of a utility
asset!

Must isolate
utilities as
shown on plans

Contractor must also consider

impact of moving joints!!!

51
If Joints Aren’t Properly Adjusted…

What If I Have to Dead-end a Joint?

52
What If I Have to Dead-end a Joint?

Joint Layout Design…

EB237 – Concrete Pavement Field

Reference: Pre-Paving
IS006, Intersection Joint Layout
IS061 – Design and Construction of
Joints for Concrete Streets
R&T Update 6.03 – Concrete
Roundabouts
TB010 – Design and Construction of
Joints for Concrete Highways
TB017 – Airfield Joints, Jointing
Arrangements and Steel
TB019 – Concrete Intersections: A
Guide for Design and Construction

53
 Looking for More Details?

Order ACPA’s Field References

www.acpa.org/bookstore/ and
search:
EB237: Pre-Paving
EB238: Paving
EB239: CPP
PDF or Printed
Member: $13 - $15
Non-Member: $50 - $60

54
FREE Proper Procedure Checklists!

www.acpa.org/fieldreference/

Acknowledgments
American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
American Concrete Pavement Association
National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (Iowa
State University)
Shiraz Tayabji, Fugro Consultants, Inc.
U.S. Federal Highway Administration Pavement
Technology Program
U.S. National Highway Institute

55
Questions?

56